Padma Lakshmi Talks About Loving Her Scars And Being Thankful For Her Body

"I'm happy to have a visual reminder, every day, of how precious life is."

"I feel most comfortable in my own skin when I'm naked," Padma Lakshmi says at the start of a video for Self magazine.

In the video, the television host, model, actress, author, and mother talks honestly about her body — from scars to stretch marks — and learning to love and appreciate the skin she's in.

"I've had this scar since I was a teenager," she says as the camera pans her upper arm. "When I first got it, I was very self-conscious about it ...There was a time when I wanted to cover it up ... but I like my scar [now]. I'm happy to have a visual reminder, every day, of how precious life is."

Later, Lakshmi offers up a bit of advice to those who have an influence on children:

"I think we need to teach our sons and daughters to be vigilant about their own bodies and to care for their own bodies and be advocates in a way that my generation really wasn't taught to do," she says.

Lakshmi's strength and confidence radiates throughout the rest of the video, which also includes a discussion about being diagnosed with endometriosis. And though her story may not be the same as yours, it's clear her message of body positivity and self-love is one that we can all carry with us.